Tag Archives: Insight with Passion

It’s all ‘Go’ on the Other Side of the World

Posted on by

On Sunday Richard and I took to the skies to embark on a new adventure, with a retailing client on the other side of the world, IWP would be taking their first steps into the fair country of Australia.

The bundle of joy that is jet lag was the first challenge faced, but once we won the short battle against waves of wanting to sleep at inappropriate times (my daily ‘tea fix’ certainly helped), we were wide awake and ready to get the project rolling.

I can certainly say we have thrown ourselves into the task, and that a plan is starting to take shape. With most of this week being spent in stores we have been on a ‘mini’ adventure taking to the road to drive the massive distances between locations.

The sheer distance and immense size of the towns is a real eye-opener, so different to home. However, the weather has been a nice reminder of the ‘grey’ of Yorkshire and little reminders of England keep popping up in the most unusual of places…

While you read this we’ll be turning the nightlight out on another exciting day – facing a week full of more ‘mini’ adventures and hard (but thoroughly enjoyable) work. Bring it on!

Hotels are Where the Heart is?

Posted on by

Last week I checked into three different hotels with very different offers – airport convenience hotel, executive city hotel and premium holiday resort.

Every single check in experience failed to impress… and that’s pretty indicative of the 50+ times I go through this a year.

It’s a simple equation to me – if you’re running a hotel – you’re going to be dealing with travellers (weary ones – normally) and they’re looking for something so basic and yet so obvious – “a good welcome”.

Its a word that’s thrown about a lot in greetings – but a true welcome is something most of us do with our house guests on every occasion.

It doesn’t mean grand gestures of best cutlery or a cooked breakfast – if they fancy it, there might be nothing better than the local café’s bacon butty for breakfast – but we take the time to understand what might make them feel “more at home”.

So what’s the challenges for the hotel industry – aren’t we all just looking to feel more at home? I know I am.

I want my name to be right at check in, I would like a genuinely friendly face to greet me, I’d like the first words not to be – can I have your card please (what sort of trust in transaction does that show) or worse still – I don’t have your booking.

If you’re going as a volume chain to offer speed – then offer it. I understand “no frills” but if someone is stood with bags, children and is about to fall over and you ask them to sign something – you have to help them! Its not about adding frills back in – its about adding courtesy in.

If you’re a premium offer and you have gone to the length of putting water at reception – offer it!

If you’re a luxury offer and you’re about the magical touch – there is no point waiting until the bedroom or dinner to make it special. Check in will be the most important impression – the first one – be slick but be human, be informed but don’t be sterile.

They say there is no place like home but for the 100,000s of us traveling the globe extensively all year – we have to make sure our second homes feel a bit more friendly.

Life Can Be Taxing…

Posted on by

…As I have unfortunately been reminded of this week.

Headlines from ‘Worse Off Wednesday’ are crying out about the impact and loss to many individuals through the rise in taxes and changes in welfare, and on a more personal note, the loss of two people.

Tax changes are forecast to cost British households £2.3 billion in 2011 alone, budget cuts reducing household incomes by 0.25%. In these challenging economic times it’s all too easy to let our heads go down and become introspective.

What working with a funerals business has taught me is to remain positive in the face of adversity – there is always a solution to the problems hanging over you.

By simply going above and beyond the expectations of your customers you can create rewards – in an industry so sensitive and personal, the funerals business is just one area where this level of service is expected – but the maxim is applicable across every board.

More often than not, in times of difficulty details can be overlooked, it is more than essential to work through each and every minute detail to deliver a great overall outcome. Don’t forget – nothing and no-one is ‘too small’ to consider.

They say in life there’s only a few things that are certain; death and taxes are two of them.

Funeral businesses show us that by working as part of a team, going above and beyond the expectations of our customer can create an experience to be proud of, which lifts us from the pain of the day and sets us on the road to a better future.

Kate’s Big Society – Yorkshire Post

Posted on by

Our Kate hit the headlines yesterday – just a day after publishing her post on David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ Kate’s community involvement was covered in the Yorkshire Post.

The feature exposes the trials and tribulations of being the Chairwoman of the Charity Dreamgirls whilst having to juggle running her own business and having an active family life.

Click here to read the article in full today!